Meeting healthcare needs of the future

Healthcare has never been static – there is constant change which needs to be reflected by the people who work within and around it. Healthcare is defined on many levels by the expectations of the society whom it serves, and there are now new beliefs, new expectations, demographic realities as well as the challenges and benefits of technological developments. The people who work within the NHS are finding that we are not all ready for this and the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) are setting further demands on the boundaries of expertise and care. This scenario is enormously dynamic and we are currently facing some workforce challenges which we must meet in order to serve the future needs of patients and the NHS.

The workforce pay bill accounts for more than half of all expenditure on health and must therefore be fit for purpose. In addition, it is the people who work in healthcare who are its greatest asset (or so it is often said). Far more than this, they hold quality and continuity in their hands enabling patient safety, productivity and efficiency – all of which in a public funded system are essential ingredients of an effective service. 

There are established and evidenced links between patient outcomes and whether organisations have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time. This is and has been the mantra from Health Education England, which is tasked with co-ordinating workforce issues to ensure a quality service can be delivered and that all roles have access to appropriate education for their qualification and continuing education to maintain their knowledge base.